Exclusive Interview: Mohammad Kasbi

In an exclusive interview with ifilm, Iranian actor Mohammad Kasbi talks about his acting career. ifilm recently broadcast ‘3×4’ in which Kasbi starred.

Born on May 26, 1951 in the Iranian capital city of Tehran, Mohammad Kasbi graduated in Cinema Acting and Directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University of Tehran.

He began his career with stage acting at the age of 13 years old.

In 1991, he was nominated for the Fajr International Film Festival’s Crystal Simorgh Best Male Actor award for his role in 'Badook' (1991).

Four years later, he received a Crystal Simorgh and Malaysia’s East Asia Film and Television Festival Best Actor Award for his role in 'Father' (1995).

He has appeared in other movies, such as 'Eternal Repentance' (1982), 'The Calls' (1985), 'Boycott' (1985), 'The Crisis' (1987), 'The Refugee' (1993), 'Attack on H-3' (1994), 'The Moon and the Sun' (1995), 'Slivers of the Sun' (1995), 'The World Upside-Down' (1997), 'Saint Mary' (2000), 'Dear, I'm In No Mood' (2001), 'The Foreign Doll' (2005), 'The Wall' (2007), and 'Ominous Seed' (2008).

He has also acted in series, including 'Rana' (1988-1990), 'Sweet Ride' (2005), 'Until Morning' (2006), 'The Spiritualists' (2006), 'Three by Four' (2008), 'Let's Not Turn Around' (2009), 'The Occupiers' (2010), 'Stepmother' (2010), 'Three Shares Each' (2011), and 'Dementia' (2012).

Kasbi is also the founder of the Play Department of National Radio, the founder of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance’s Center for Performance Arts, and the authority in charge of managing the Play Division and Township Affairs of the Artistic Center.

He has some directing experience in 1987 and 1989 as well.

Below is a rough translation of selected parts from the interview conducted by ifilm in Persian:

ifilm: You began acting on stage but you have not performed in a theatrical play in a while, why?

Kasbi: Yes, I began working on stage when I was 13. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, I was given a number of responsibilities and duties and theater takes much time which unfortunately I did not have.

ifilm: Tell us about your career at television.

Kasbi: As a matter of fact, I first started acting at cinema and then entered television. My first work on television was ‘Saint Mary’ and ‘Sweet Ride’ made me want to continue working there. Before that, I had even won awards for my cinematic roles but the viewers of a good movie can hardly reach a million while an interesting television series can attract 20-30 million viewers. Since 20 years ago, I realized that I should prefer television roles to those in the cinema.

ifilm: You appear in less works these days, why is that so?

Kasbi: For me, a good script is the most important factor in accepting an offer. It has been a while since I got a good offer and this is why I have not been very active lately. Also, when I accept a role, I must be able to later defend my decision; therefore, I prefer to wait for a good offer.

ifilm: What has been your favorite role so far?

Kasbi: It is difficult for me to choose a favorite role as I have appeared in about 70 works but I think the best role that I delivered was in the movie ‘Death of the Other’ which marked my second time in front of the camera. I also liked my performance in the feature film ‘Boycott’ despite being short. Moreover, ‘Father’, ‘Crisis’ and ‘Bells’ are among my works that I like. Among television series, I liked ‘The Spiritualists’ and ‘Saint Mary’ very much. The audience might like ‘Sweet Ride’ and its sequel very much and I like them too. Nevertheless, I have many works on my résumé and I like all of them and choosing among them is difficult.

Interview conducted by: Hanieh Khavari

HY/HY